UPSC Mains 2021: Civil Services Exams to go on as per Schedule

As per a statement issued on Wednesday, the Union Public Service Commission has decided to conduct the 2021 Civil Services (Main) Exam as scheduled on January 7, 8, 9, 15, and 16.

Additionally, the UPSC has asked state governments to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to the candidates and examination functionaries, amid several states announcing movement restrictions.

States have been told that, if necessary, candidates 'e-admit cards and exam officials' identity cards of the examination functionaries are to be used as movement passes, UPSC said.

"After carefully reviewing the situation prevailing due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Commission has decided to conduct the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2021 as per schedule i.e. on 7th, 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th January 2022," it said in a statement.

The civil service examination is carried out annually in three stages: preliminary, main, and interview, to select the officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court agreed on Wednesday to hear a petition on Thursday seeking instructions to postpone the Civil Service exam schedule until the COVID-19 situation normalizes.

The matter was brought up for the urgent hearing of Wednesday's hearing, on that, the Chief Justice of Delhi Supreme Court DN Patel ordered that the issue be included for his hearing on Thursday.

The petition has been submitted by candidates who passed their UPSC 2021 Civil Services Exam - Preliminary Exam and must now appear in said CSE 2021 Network Exam.

The petitioners approach the Superior Court with a sentence to direct the Defendants (UPSC and DoPT) to immediately postpone the conduct of said network examination in view of the serious spread of the Covid-19 infection, in particular, the Omicron variant of it, which is now spreading faster in India than any previously found variant of the coronavirus (Covid-19).